DOMINICA — The Dutch Navy ships Zr.Ms. Zeeland and Zr.Ms. Pelican are currently active in Dominica. At the request of the Dominica Government they have been rendering emergency relief after the passage of Hurricane Maria since last Friday. The emergency assistance they have been providing will most likely continue for another 7 days. HMS Zeeland helped to assess the damage immediately after the passage of Huricane Maria. For this purpose a NH-90 helicopter was deployed. In addition to frequent medical evacuations – the counter currently stands at 46 – the helicopter is also being used in the distribution of food…
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Building a better and stronger St. Maarten after Hurricane Irma; That is the intention of our government, but achieving this lofty goal is easier said than done. We see trucks drive around with sheet metal roofing material, suggesting that somewhere on the island some roof will be restored to its previous condition. We have seen companies in the process of replacing huge store windows with walls made of breeze blocks – something that looks like a solid alternative; but according to architects, it isn’t, because these makeshift little walls are not an integral part of a building’s construction. In other…
Cul-de-Sac, St. Maarten – Like the majority of the island’s infrastructure, the St. Maarten Academy School was not spared the wrath of Irma, when she made landfall as a dangerous category 5 hurricane on Wednesday September 06, 2017. According to Principal, drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool, the school suffered severe damage to its physical infrastructure. These included damaged roofs, blown-out windows and doors, flooded classrooms and other loss as a result of looting. Of the thirty-nine classrooms, only eleven suffered minor damages, and will be functional upon resumption of classes on Monday, October 2nd, for our Pre-Exam and Exam classes (Forms 4,…
St. Maarten (September 22, 2017) – The Dominica Foundation Sint Maarten wishes to express its solidarity with the people of the Commonwealth of Dominica after the passing of Hurricane Maria which devastated our beautiful country. Having just suffered the same terrifying experiences with Hurricane Irma on September 6, 2017, we sincerely feel your pain and loss amidst the chaos now engulfing entire communities in Dominica. We are not in Dominica in person, but rest assured we are there in spirit. We Dominicans on St. Maarten, some of us having lost our homes and our possessions, were touched and consoled when…
PHILIPSBURG –The Police Force of Sint Maarten with the assistance of the police forces from Aruba, Curacao, the Netherlands, the Royal Marechaussee, and the V.K.C. that are presently on the island along with the V.K.S. and the Customs Department, continue to make great progress in the arrest of persons, who have been identified as suspects in the mass looting of many businesses on the island, in the aftermath of hurricane Irma. The amount of arrests in the looting investigations continues to grow rapidly and this is due to the amount of reliable information that continues to pour into the police…
PHILIPSBURG — Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher on Tuesday announced that Spirit Airlines, in its continuing efforts to assist the people of St. Maarten after the hurricanes, will execute a free relief flight from Fort Lauderdale to St. Maarten and back to Fort Lauderdale this Thursday, September 28. The flight will carry residents of St. Maarten wishing to return to the island and will also transport to St. Maarten relief supplies that have been donated to the people of St. Maarten, and will carry back to the U.S. anyone that is eligible to travel to the US…
PORT ST. MAARTEN – Cargo operations at the Captain David Cargo Quay have resumed after a side scan sonar was carried out of the seabed to see if there were any underwater obstructions. Over the weekend the Model 6 Mobile Gottwald Harbor Crane was back in operation offloading containers from Motor Vessel Tropic Sun. The assessment was carried out after the passing of Maria and there was no additional damage to the nation’s port facilities. It was confirmed by the Port Maritime Department that the water depth remains the same at the quay and there was no visual debris on…
CUPECOY — Unless you want to be heroic, self-preservation is a natural instinct of the human being in any disastrous situation, but that depends on the area of responsibility of the individual in question. In this case Sophia Kelly, Property Manager of The Cliff, can take the credit for preventing what could have been a calamity the morning Hurricane Irma touched down on St Maarten. Kelly who is originally from St. Kitts has held that position for the past six years and has been residing here for double that amount years. “This is my home” she started out by saying…
PHILIPSBURG—The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport is currently still on target for the reopening of schools. The soft opening of school is set for September 28th, 2017. The soft opening will consists of students assessing their school materials, and speaking with their teachers, peers and guidance counselors. The official start date will be October 2nd, 2017. The Foundation Catholic Education school board consisting of the St. Dominic Primary and High School, the Sister Regina Primary School, the St. Joseph Primary School, the Sister Magda Primary School, the Sister Borgia Primary School, and the Sister Marie Laurence Primary School…
GREAT BAY – The preliminary estimate of the material damages Hurricane Irma has inflicted on St. Maarten is in the region of $1 billion, Prime Minister William Marlin said on Monday during the first meeting of parliament in the 2017-2019 parliamentary year. Parliament met in a meeting room on the first floor of the government administration building on Pond Island because the parliament building in town is currently not available due to damages it sustained during the hurricane. PM Marlin said that the current official death toll for the Dutch side stands at two. “Two bodies were found floating in…
